News

Memento International has acquired international sales rights to Nora El Hourch’s debut feature “Sisterhood” (“Hlm Pussy”) ahead of its world premiere at Toronto. The timely film will play in the competitive Platform section.

“Sisterhood” follows three inseparable teenagers who face a public outcry after posting a video that exposes someone who attacked them. Faced with threats, they must choose between deleting the video or continuing to fight.

“Sisterhood” boasts a cast of newcomers, including Léah Aubert, Médina Diarra and Salma Takaline, as well as Bérénice Bejo, the Cannes and Cesar award-winning of “The Past” and “The Artist.” Philippe Gompel is producing for Manny Films and La Prod in Morocco is co-producing. Paname Distribution will be handling French distribution.

“Nora El Hourch’s energetic debut feature boldly puts the spotlight on the way sexual harassment is dealt with in the French projects,” said Memento Intl. The company said “Sisterhood” deftly addresses social discrepancies.

Hlm Pussy

Among the feature film debuts high up on our list we find a scrappy French drama set in subsidized housing via short film filmmaker by Nora El Hourch. Her debut short in 2015’s Quelques secondes was selected for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, TIFF and SXSW ’16. Bérénice Bejo, Leah Aubert, Medina Diarra and Salma Takaline star in Hlm Pussy – a project that went into production this past November. Hlm is the French acronym for Habitation à loyer modéré (low income housing). Manny Films’ Philippe Gompel produced.

Gist: This tell the story of Amina, Djeneba and Zineb.…...

Fresh off recent film festival premieres of hubby Michel Hazanavicius’ Final Cut (Cannes) and Francesca Archibugi’s The Hummingbird (TIFF), Bérénice Bejo will support indie French cinema next month. The weekly trade Le film français reports that Bejo has joined Nora El Hourch‘s directorial debut titled Hlm Pussy. From what we gather, this would be a key supporting role (perhaps a teacher) as the film focuses on three adolescents played by Leah Aubert, Medina Diarra and Salma Takaline. Hlm is the French acronym for Habitation à loyer modéré or in our lingo, low income building. The filmmaker’s debut short in 2015’s Quelques secondes was selected for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, TIFF and SXSW ’16.…...